finding the right man
by
Douglas Messerli
Dean Slotary (screenwriter and director) The
Absolution of Anthony / 1997
A young, unhappy gay
boy of 16, Anthony (Joe Quintero) simply does not know how to explore the
sexual world in which he had become defined. He spends most afternoons and
evenings in bed
randomly calling up men to demand that they
share their love for him and desire for his body.
Needless
to say, this doesn’t work very successfully, especially when his unknowing
uncle with whom he lives constantly attempts to regain control of the phone.
Out
on the streets for a few hours, Anthony discovers a seeming local homophobic
basketball player Joe (Gary Cohen) who seems to be willing to test the waters.
Meanwhile, the local priest, Father Carson (Victor Garber), knowing of
the boy’s torment, offers to talk with him at any time.
Obviously, Anthony’s mode of communication,
hand on crotch while demanding that the other person on the phone tell him that
he wants him, doesn’t achieve his goals, as he tries another unknown and
finally the priest himself, who is forced to hang up.
But
suddenly Anthony awakens with a new sense of possibility, as he rises early,
seeks out the basketball court and meets up with the kid who is willing to have
sex with him.
This is not a great movie, but is an intense exploration of a self in
the making, a young man who is attempting to absolve himself from his intense
demons.
Los Angeles, June 1 (2025)
Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog
(June 2025).
No comments:
Post a Comment